In Loving Memory Of
by AJ Maxima
Summary: He knew four things about me: my mom had both parts, my dad was in denial, Roxas committed suicide, and at only ten years old, I was pretty sure that I was bisexual. That's why he murdered me, because he didn't understand my family, because he didn't 'get it.' I'm not even sure I did...[Will be rated M later for adult content and themes] {OOC} REVISING
1. Boys Don't Cry

**WARNING** **:** **Will be rated M later**. Future chapters _will_ contain mature content.

 **THIS WILL ONLY BE EIGHT CHAPTERS.** The first two will be when Sora's 10, the next 11, and so on. The final chapter will be his 16th year of life.

Enjoy…?

 **Chapter 1: Boys Don't Cry**

 _Crying doesn't define what makes a man—or a woman for that matter._

I die at the end so please don't expect anything pleasant to come from my story. You'll only find darkness consuming what could've been light—what could've been _hope_.

Most people don't want to hear something like that, because they don't want to take the time to try and _understand_ it. Murder is like rape—a serious issue, but it makes everyone uncomfortable so they keep quiet about it… but if you're willing to listen to me, I'll talk. I'll tell you everything that happened to me—what he did to me— _how_ he killed me because he didn't understand…

If you can't take it, I suggest you forget I was here, like most often do… I'm used to being forgotten; I'm used to feeling _lesser_ than most.

But if you stay…

 _Thank you._

Now, all of my troubles started six years ago at the Strife house—over there on Garden Street. Every morning I'd have to guess whether I should call Tifa _mom_ or _dad_. She used to make it easy because she'd wear dad's clothes on days when she wanted to be a man, and her regular 'Tifa' clothes on days that she wanted to be a woman. That was up until the night before, I guess. After that night, Tifa stopped leaving me hints.

The next morning she yelled at me because I accidently called her 'mom.'

Even though I apologized profusely, she kept giving this look like I'd tried to punch her in the face—which was physically impossible for a ten year old of my short height to do, unless she decided to spontaneously kneel so I could try—but I didn't mean to upset her. I thought that's what she _wanted_ to be called. I promise—on my grave, I promise! She was even dressed in her 'Tifa' clothes to go to work again, so I _really_ did suspect I was right that time…

But I was wrong—painstakingly so, because Tifa literally screamed it at me for the first time in all of my existence. She said, "Sora! You don't get it! You're supposed to _get it_!"

But I thought I _did_ get it… Sometimes there was a lot to 'get' and I couldn't understand the way Tifa wanted me to.

She was in her room now, crying because of _me_ —because _I'd_ hurt her feelings. I'd never done that before...

I huffed, wishing she'd—I mean, _he'd_ …

There I go again… That day, she wanted to identify as a man. So, let me start over, paint a better picture...

I huffed, wishing he'd come out of there while I sat in front of his room door. The blue carpet was cold and the white walls had holes in them from when he'd thrown his heels at my dad, Cloud, earlier.

Tifa was being a drama queen.

I couldn't get it right all the time… so sue me.

"Pouting won't help," Cloud said as he waited for me to stand. He was frowning at me, like _I_ was the problem here. It was always like this behind closed doors, but when we were outside we'd put on a united front. I always made sure to smile at Cloud inside the house anyway, though. It was better this way, so he didn't know how much that accusing glare affected me. He _always_ said, 'Boys don't cry,' so I didn't.

But here's a fun fact: I cried all the time at night. That way _nobody_ could see me when I was alone in my bed. It was the easiest place to vent to myself, the only place I was physically alone—although emotionally, I always felt alone unless Riku and Kairi were nearby.

The more you know.

Roxas cried all the time when he lived at our house, and dad never liked it, but he moved out when I was nine, in August, the minute he turned eighteen, and he only visited on holidays. He looked more like dad than I did, and they both had blond hair and bright, blue eyes.

I got dad's eyes, too, but my hair was dark brown—it wasn't as dark as Tifa's, though. Roxas used to say, "It's because you're the baby, so you're supposed to look different and cute." He even left me that in a note on Christmas morning; it was on the same night he killed himself in the guest bedroom.

At the end of the note, he said, 'None of this is your fault.'

I believed him… but there were times when I couldn't help but blame myself. Tifa and Cloud _always_ blamed me for not understanding—even though I tried to.

I never told Cloud and Tifa about the note Roxas left me, but I made sure to carry it around in my pocket—just like I carried the image of finding his body that morning forever in my thoughts. That way, I'd always have Roxas with me— _always_.

Cloud was still frowning at me as we went downstairs. He was dressed in an all black suit and the keys to the Ragna Sedan were in his hands. That was Tifa's car, and Cloud usually preferred his motorcycle, but today he needed to drive me school.

It was obvious that Tifa wasn't up to it.

Tifa wasn't going to drive me to school because I'd upset him.

It was Tifa's world in our house.

I hated that house… I understand why Roxas killed himself. I just wish he could've given me a quick heads up or at least let me go with him. That's what he'd always say: We'll go together.

But we didn't. I was still stuck here, with this—with _them_ —with Tifa and Cloud…

"Dad?" I asked, peering up at him. I knew he was going to punish me again. I could feel the tingling sensation of injustice as he glanced down at me and crossed his arms.

"…You're grounded, Sora," he said quietly. There it was.

I didn't understand _why_ I was grounded, of course. In my mind, I'd always imagine myself asking 'what for?' But I knew the answer: just because…

"W-Why?" I asked. "She—" I shook my head, blinking as I quickly corrected myself. " _He_ was dressed as a _girl_. So, I… I thought—"

" _He's_ identifying as a _man_ today, though," Cloud said. "You can't refer to him as 'her' and 'she.' That makes Tifa upset."

 _Everything makes Tifa upset_ , I thought.

"So, if mom's— _Tifa's_ identifying as man, and Tifa was wearing girl clothes, does that mean Tifa is also identifying as a _cross dresser_?" It was an innocent enough question, and I could tell he was contemplating it over in his mind by the surprised look he gave me before he gazed straight ahead. I figured this was going on his list of Weird Things My Ten Year Old Says. Every parent had a list, whether it was mental or on plain paper. I bet he'd marked this right beside my notion that animals could talk, and a mouse was capable of using a giant key to fend off his enemies.

It could happen.

"Don't say that again," Cloud warned. The sharp glare he gave me was enough to make me shy away by lowering my head and backing away. My smile had begun to fade and everything felt out of place.

"I… I don't know why you keep grounding me, dad," I said. I took another step back when he gave me a cross look, but I continued speaking. "I don't understand." That was the truth, and I wanted to burst into tears. Why couldn't anyone in that house ever make sense?

It would've spared them from having to endure my funeral—and Roxas'.

Maybe that's why Roxas killed himself, because it was always like being stuck inside the Bizarre Room in Wonderland—going this way and that but always ending up in the same place— _nowhere_.

I really wish Roxas were here…

Cloud and I waited downstairs beside the front door when we heard Tifa come out of her— _his_ —ugh! When _Tifa_ came out of _their_ room, _he_ was stomping loudly, and he trudged all the way downstairs until we were in view. After that, he paced towards us, frowning at me. His long, dark-brown hair was down, and he was in a black skirt with a white business shirt. His jacket matched his skirt, and his black heels were in his manicured hands.

"I'm driving Sora to school, Tifa," Cloud said quietly. "Is that okay?" Man of the house right there, always asking…

Tifa was glaring at me as he stepped into his shoes. "I don't care," he sniped. "Just get _him_ out of here, Cloud." The loving look he gave Cloud made me want to gag, especially when he kissed Cloud on the lips. "Yuffie's taking me to a business brunch on the other side of town. She should be here soon." Sometimes I liked Yuffie better than Tifa. She wasn't a mother figure, but she was a nurturing figure in a way—when she wasn't calling herself a ninja.

Cloud nodded, touching my shoulder as he opened the front door, leading me out. "We'll see you soon, Tifa."

"See you," he replied back.

"Bye," I said softly, offering her my signature smile.

Tifa didn't even wave as he slammed the door behind us.

As we walked down the brown porch steps, I glanced up at Cloud, huffing. "I don't understand why I'm grounded for trying to be on her— _his_ side." When I reached the last step, I stomped through the grass to get to the driveway, where the Ragna Sedan was parked, still fuming. "This isn't fair." I suspected that even normal children would call this child abuse—physical and emotional.

"Yes it is," Cloud insisted. "And you know you're too young to be sitting in the front."

"I'm _ten_ ," I protested, giving him puppy dog eyes. It used to work, but even my smile didn't work after out therapy sessions started. I think Cloud hated my smile… It was happy, an emotion that he lacked.

"Big accomplishment, Sora," he humored me. He pointed to the back seat. "Move it, so we won't be late."

When Cloud parked in front of the school, he was looking at me from the rearview mirror—almost like he didn't know what to say. "Tifa just needs time." _Or her pills…_ I thought. Tifa hated me right now.

"She never takes her medication," I murmured, peering at him curiously. "She says she doesn't need to take it." She needed to take _something_ if she was going to snap at me for every little thing.

"Stop calling him—"

"TIFA IS A _SHE_!" I shouted, feeling my eyes water. "TIFA CAN REPRODUCE—SHE GAVE BIRTH TO ROXAS AND ME—EVEN IF SHE HAS TWO PARTS THE DOCTOR SAYS SHE'S STILL A WOMAN BECAUSE OF THAT—SHE'S _STILL_ A _WOMAN_ , DAD!"

There, I said it.

I felt somewhat better… _somewhat_.

Cloud took in my livid form while I tried to stop shaking. My nostrils were flared and I was gripping the sides of my hair, rocking back and forth. There was only so much I could take, and our therapist said it was okay for me to yell at them sometimes, especially if they mistreated me. He also said it was okay to dial the cops whenever Cloud would punish me for doing something that 'upset Tifa.'

"I… I know, Sora," Cloud spoke up. "But she identifies as a man today, so that's what I refer to her as."

"So, _I_ have to do it too, just because you say so? Just because she won't cut her penis off—"

I quieted when he reached into the back seat, closing my eyes while I waited on him to hit me. I knew I'd been disrespectful, and I felt guilty for even saying it as soon as the words had left my mouth.

Tifa didn't deserve that…

I gulped when I felt a firm hand stroke my brown spikes.

"It's going to be okay, Sora."

I peeked one eye open before slowly opening the other, pouting at him. In a low whisper, I asked, "…Is that what you said to Roxas?" There was no malice in my voice, only innocence. Roxas had been such a tortured soul while he was walking this earth.

It was like he was trapped in darkness, and in turn he allowed it to consume him. I really missed my big brother.

Cloud answered with something I expected, something that made me think lesser of him. "...Have a nice day at school, Sora," he told me. Cloud had given up me—on Roxas—on our family…

I was alone.

I tried to offer him a weak smile anyway, though—classic Sora. He didn't have the right to see how much his quiet sentences hurt me. "H-have a nice day at work, dad!" It sounded forced and bogus.

"I'm going to check you out early, so we can go to our therapy session, alright?"

My smile faded. "Will _she_ be there?" I couldn't talk like I wanted to if Tifa came.

Cloud was giving me that same, disapproving look, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Yes, Sora. _He_ will be."

I glanced out the window while I sat back and folded my arms. It was draining to be a people pleaser all the time. "Okay…" Riku and Kairi were waiting on the steps of the school to greet me, and I could tell from the car that they knew Cloud was making me upset.

Kairi had red hair and blue eyes, while Riku's eyes were aqua, and his hair was silver. He often kept it long—as long as Kairi's—and even though they had different physical features, their eyes were always the same. They were sad, like mine.

They knew what was going on.

"You never answered my question," I spoke up, glancing at my father. "About Roxas…"

Cloud parted his lips to speak, but he abruptly shut them, opting to shake his head instead. "Get to class." _End of conversation, as usual..._

As I opened the door and stepped outside, I slammed it shut behind me. I didn't know it then, but _he_ was watching me from where he stood. Who would've thought my murderer had always been _right_ there? Talk about easy access…

...

 **A/N:** So, in one of my courses, our professor went over the different types of 'gender specific roles' that everyone plays in society. She mentioned something about intersex and how the definition was slightly wrong, because she knew of an intersex person who identified as _both_. In the dictionary, it says that Intersex people identify as _neither male nor female_. Idk why I decided to write this, but it's out now, and I've got an urge to keep going when I get some more free time.

 **You're welcome to leave a review, or an alert or whatever you'd prefer if you have time to spare. I'll gladly accept it. :) I'll admit, this story may not be what some are used to, but give it a try if you can.**


	2. Nobody

**Chapter 2: Nobody**

 _Even a nobody is a somebody._

Riku and Kairi rushed towards me the moment I began walking over to them, and they both stayed closely beside me while we paced. Kairi even held my hand, emitting butterflies from me. I loved it and hated it, because then I'd compare it to the way _Riku_ made me feel. It felt exactly the same… I think.

Riku used to hold my hand, too, but he stopped about two years ago. He didn't like the looks he received from the other boys in our school, even if he admitted to 'maybe' liking me. I don't think he cared for me as much as Kairi, though—or as much as _I_ cared for him.

Having them both beside me made the world stop, like it was just us—the grand trio. I didn't start telling them about my feelings until later that day—until I grew some courage, and even then I didn't technically _speak_ about it…

"You guys," I spoke up as we walked. "I'm getting checked out later."

Kairi tilted her head as we entered the building, eyes inquisitive. "You wanna meet in our secret place after school then?"

I nodded. "Yeah… can you make it?" I had peered up at Riku, who was taller than me, as I spoke this, expectant that he'd say 'yes.' I couldn't remember a time that he'd ever denied me of something… Riku always did what I wanted, unless we were racing. I rarely won those…

He ruffled my hair, sending waves of somersaults throughout my stomach. "Sure, Sora."

I didn't miss the way he stared at me for longer than he should have, but I knew better than to call him out on it. Maybe he was just going through a phase… I don't think I'd grow out of mine, though. I think I'd always feel this way about those two…

"Thanks," I told him.

He made a light hum sound in reply, tearing his gaze away from me and looking straight ahead. The small smile was still there, making me grin at him.

I wanted nothing more than to reach for his hand and squeeze it, but again, I knew better. Riku didn't know what he felt about me…

Instead, we hurried to class when the next bell had rung.

* * *

The rest of the day had been a living nightmare, and even though Kairi and I were in the same class, I couldn't sit by her because we were in assigned seats. I usually sat beside my bullies, who taunted me because they said Tifa was a freak. They'd shoot spitballs at my head, and Mr. Saix would say it was _my_ fault for having Tifa as a parent. He even went as far as saying, "Tifa doesn't belong in the world."

Don't worry; he wasn't my murder, just a fellow tormentor. Aside from that, Riku was one year old older than me and Kairi, so we didn't have the same classes.

School was no fun.

"Sora," Mr. Saix called me. He grabbed his ruler, his blue hair moving about as he rushed down the rows of desks to approach me. His black jacket made a swishing sound as he quickly lifted his ruler. Immediately, the back of my right hand stung from the sting of the metal measuring device.

"Don't space out when I'm talking," he commanded me.

But I _hadn't_ been spacing out. I'd been paying attention the entire time. It perplexed me, but I agreed with a nod anyway. "Y-Yes, sir…"

With a satisfied smirk, he returned to the front of the blackboard, continuing our history lesson. He wasn't a nice man.

Kairi gazed at me from across the room, just like the other curious eyes. Her concerned eyes silently asked me if was alright, to which I nodded slowly.

"Can anyone answer the next question?" Saix asked. His smirk remained intact as his eyes stayed focused on mine. "How about you, Sora?" He lifted his slim history book. It was black and titled _The World that Never Was_. It was a period of time in which the Second World War occurred, and our nation had witnessed disastrous aftermaths. We ended up defeating Maleficent, though, an important historical figure—a famous slaughterer in history. She was the first woman to wage war on a nation, and also the first to ever lead her troops into battle. "Can you tell me the name of the famous memorial for the forgotten soldiers of World War II?"

"The Proof of Existence Memorial Site," I answered, placing my forearms on my desk.

He paused, annoyed by my answer. I knew that it had been correct, but I wasn't surprised when he shook his head and said, "Incorrect."

Kairi glanced down at her history book, confused. When she raised her hand, Saix asked, "What is it, Kairi?"

"But Sora was right," she explained. Her index finger trailed over the books contents. "It says so right here…"

Saix gave her an irritable glare. " _Excuse me_?"

"She said I'm _wrong_ ," I said quickly. I ignored the way she snapped her head at me. "She didn't know what she was talking about before."

Saix chuckled. "Excellent. What do we say class?"

"Sora is always wrong," my classmates chanted.

Kairi was frowning at me.

I simply shrugged in response, glad that I had kept her out of Saix's line of fire, yet again. I won't get into detail about his methods of teaching me, not right now, but know that he was out to get me, and the worst was yet to come. I had good teachers, but Saix wasn't one of them.

* * *

Later that day, during P.E., Kairi and I watched Riku playing kickball. I really wanted to play whenever he'd asked me to, but I was afraid that the other boys would say 'no.' They usually didn't want me around, and Kairi and Riku were my only friends, even though I made an effort to talk to everyone—to smile at everyone.

It was during the last ten minutes of P.E. that had Kairi on edge. She was nervous for me, because a passing boy had called me, "He-She," and he'd spit directly in my face. I grimaced as I used my red shirt to wipe it off while Kairi grabbed my left arm, leading me away. The coaches said nothing, of course, and I'd heard the phrase 'kids will be kids' far too often at that school.

"Let's go by the swings," Kairi suggested. "Nobody's over there." Translation: It's safer over there because nobody will bother us.

Before we could even walk, Wakka shouted, "Heads up, Tranny!"

I snapped my head in the direction of the noise, just as a kickball smacked Kairi in the face, knowing it was meant for me. Her head snapped to the right as if she'd been punched and she fell to the ground before I could even react, her right palm still clinging to my arm. Blood fell out of her nose, and a fresh cut appeared on her quivering lips. The hand that she'd been clinging to me, fell to her face and she began rubbing her eyes with her trembling fists.

I knelt slowly, hesitant to touch her when I heard her sniffle and inhale a sharp intake of breath. "K-Kairi…?"

She burst into tears.

I'd never seen an angel cry before, not until that day…

Even in death, the memory still ached to think about…

Wakka had hit Kairi because of _me_ , and for that reason alone, I wanted to kill him.

"Sora!" a coach called me. "Get off him! Sora! Wait— _Riku_! What're you doing?!"

Riku was helping, of course. We'd been in many fights before because of me, and in every single one he had joined in. However, we'd never fought over Kairi before. This would be the first time, so I was glad that he still helped me out.

Riku was a true friend.

It made the butterflies in my stomach stronger... I think.

* * *

"I can't _believe_ you did something like this," Cloud hissed at me when he'd parked in front of the therapist's office.

I'd been nursing my cheek with a blue ice pack in the back seat, and the shiner on my right eye was nothing compared to losing my back tooth, I'll tell you that much. When Wakka struck me, he'd made sure there was an impact with each blow.

"He hit _Kairi_ ," I said. There was no pretend smile on my face when I glared at him. "He did it because of _me_."

Cloud sighed, brushing his hand through his hair. "Tifa is going to have a panic attack when he sees you."

I tossed the icepack on the floor, a look of defiance in my eyes. "Let _her_ ," I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. I jumped out of the car and slammed the door while Cloud called after me. Nothing he could say would make this better and the only adult I wanted to see was my therapist, DiZ. I ran straight down the sidewalk, past the other parked vehicles, and into the large building.

When I'd made it inside, I accidentally bumped into a man in the lobby, barely giving him a second glance as I rushed by and said, "Sorry!"

That was my murderer, by the way. He even had the same therapist as me. Go figure.

"Sora!" Cloud said once he'd caught up. I'd never seen him run before, so I was humored at how tired he looked. I would've laughed if he werent' glaring at me. "Don't run off like that."

"Sora?!" Tifa said as she—as _he_ approached. God, this was so hard to understand.

"Hi…" I said quietly, watching Tifa take in the damage done to my face. Tifa knelt and I flinched when her—when _his_ hand hovered over my bruises.

Tifa frowned as his brown eyes traveled to Cloud. "What happened to my baby?" _Now_ I was his baby again, after all this fuss about this morning.

"He got into a fight at school," Cloud said. "…Over a girl."

 _It wasn't like_ that _!_

Tifa arched his brow at me, smiling. "A girl, huh?"

I couldn't stop myself from pouting. Tifa was giving me this weird 'I know your secret' look.

"Eh-hm," Dr. DiZ said. He was at the marble receptionist desk, probably waiting on us to arrive. His hair—even the strands on his beard—was blond and he was in slacks with a collared shirt that was covered by a crimson vest. His secretary, Quistis, looked a bit disturbed as she glanced at my face, inspecting my bruises.

"Why don't we all go inside my office?" DiZ asked, kneeling in front of me. He was the only adult who understood me, and I took his hand when he offered it, squeezing it as he stood and led me away. My parents were following slowly behind us, murmuring about the fight Riku and I had with Wakka.

"Mom doesn't take her medicine," I informed the doctor in a low whisper. I had said it all in a quick moment of panic, knowing it was the only time I'd get to speak in private with him. "She yelled at me because I called her "mom," but she was in her Tifa clothes—I _promise_ she was—honest!"

This news shocked him, and his blond brow arched. "Oh?" he asked back, keeping his voice low. "What else has been happening at home, Sora?"

"Dad grounded me because he says I don't get it," I admitted. I began to feel a headache forming at the thought, or maybe that was from being punched in the face earlier. "It's a lot to get, doc."

"Trust me," he said, smiling down at me. "I know." I grinned at him in reply. DiZ had been the only adult to truly care about me.

Once we'd entered his office, which had a grey carpet and blue walls, he told us all to sit down on the large, black sofa. Cloud and Tifa sat side by side on the left end, while I opted to sit at the farthest end possible on the left. They scared me when they were together, almost as if they were scheming.

DiZ sat in his large, black chair, looking like the professional that he was, and he reached for his clipboard and black pen, jotting several notes down.

"We haven't even started the session yet," Tifa stated. "Why are you writing something down?"

"Patience please," DiZ spoke up, still writing.

Cloud gave Tifa a side-glance. "Tifa."

Tifa waved him off. "Fine, whenever you're ready DiZ." He grunted in response. We waited in silence until he was finished, and when he gazed up at my parents with expectant eyes, he was frowning.

He was on my side.

"Tifa," he said. "How many pills do you have left of your medication bottle before you need to refill?"

"A full bottle," Tifa answered, shrugging. "Why?"

"Because if you refuse to take them, I'm going to be forced to call child services," he concluded, watching the glare Tifa was giving him. He then turned to Cloud, gaze neutral. "And grounding your son for not 'getting it' is a poor excuse of parenting."

"Don't tell me how to raise my son," Cloud snapped.

DiZ shook his head, tone level. "I'm not, but from _any_ parental standpoint, emotional abuse is wrong, Cloud."

"We're great parents," Tifa defended. _They are...?_ "There's nothing wrong with our family." _There isn't...?_

DiZ pointed his pen towards me. "Look at your son's face again, and tell me there's nothing wrong."

Tifa and Cloud quieted.

 _Good._

I raised my hand to speak, and DiZ gave me a small, weary smile. "Yes, Sora?" he asked.

"What's _child services_?" I asked. Was this my way of escaping?

DiZ ignored the way Tifa was glowering at me in favor of answering my question. "Well, they're a group of people who come and take children away from their parents whenever the child's parents aren't… _capable_ of doing it themselves."

My brow arched. "Are my parents _capable_?" Part of me wished he'd say 'no.'

"They… well, they _can_ be at times."

I shook my head slowly. "But not _all_ the time, right?"

"No," he answered. He gave his pen a few taps against his clipboard. "Not all the time." He cleared his throat by coughing and I knew he wanted to talk to me directly again. "Let's talk about something else."

My head tilted. "Like what, DiZ?"

"Well, how are your friends?"

The smile that spread across my face was enough to make him write something down, and mimic my expression. "I think I like them," I admitted. "Like _really_ like them." This earned surprised gasps from my parents, but I shrugged them off. "What does it mean when you like boys and girls?"

"It means you're bisexual," he answered.

Tifa seemed to disagree. I could tell by her— _his_ … You know what? Whatever. I could tell by Tifa's frown. "A ten year doesn't _know_ whether they like boys, or girls, at that age!"

"Softer words," DiZ advised.

Tifa huffed, but agreed with a firm nod. "They're indecisive at that age."

"Says _you,_ " I retorted with a pout. Tifa looked about ready to smack me.

DiZ coughed a little to get our attention. "Sora, can you go wait outside? I need to speak with your parents privately."

He didn't have to tell me twice. "Take as long as you need," I said, hearing him chuckle as I scooted off the large couch.

"Don't wander off," Tifa commanded, and I huffed, turning to gaze at the dramatic adult.

"Sora," Cloud reprimanded me. "Please don't wander off."

After a long pause I nodded. "Okay..."

" _See_!" Tifa shouted as I headed towards the door. "He _never_ calls me anything anymore!"

"That's because you always yell at him," DiZ reminded her.

"But—!" I slammed the door shut on my way out, glad that I didn't have to hear Tifa shouting at me. I kicked at the air in the beige hallway, sighing as I trudged towards the waiting room. I'd made it halfway there when I bumped into my future murderer again.

"That's quite a bruise you've got there," he spoke up, towering over me.

He had on a black hood that matched the rest of his dark clothing, and I couldn't really see his face, only his devious smile. Still, at that age, I was naive, and I wanted to be friends with everyone, simply because _they_ didn't want to be friends with _me_. Riku and Kairi were all I had, so when he came to me, talking _to_ me, not _at_ me that day, I couldn't help but feel drawn to him.

I was lonely.

"I got it at school," I replied. A flash of surprise appeared on my face when he knelt down. No adult had ever kneeled down at me to talk on my level before, except DiZ. It made me feel important, like I was… somebody.

"Oh really?" he asked.

"Yeah," I answered, a bright smile on my face. "I'm Sora. What's your name?"

He chuckled. " _Me_?" His gloved hand extended towards me. "I'm... I'm _Nobody_."

"Nice to meet you, Nobody," I said, shaking his large hand. As I tilted my head, I began wondering why his name was so weird. "Why's that your name?"

"Why not?" he countered. His smirk returned. I liked him, but not the way I liked Riku and Kairi. He seemed cool, like the big kid on the playground that everybody looked up to… except he was an _adult_. You know that 'never talk to strangers' conversation that parents give their children? Tifa and Cloud hadn't given me one—actually, even Roxas hadn't given me that talk. Maybe they thought it was implied…

It wasn't.

I didn't know better at the time because I didn't know what better was. No one talked to me besides Riku and Kairi for me to figure that out.

"But don't you get picked on?" I asked, brows furrowing. "Don't people pick on you because of your name?"

He nodded. "Oh yes, because it sounds so different…" He glanced around like he was about to tell me a secret, touching my right shoulder. "But guess what?"

I leaned towards him, eyes widening in anticipation. "What?"

"There's nothing wrong with being different." He didn't know how much those words meant to me, how much I lived by them after that day. That one sentence made all the difference in my perspective of Tifa, my perspective of Cloud, but above all, it changed the way I viewed myself.

I felt different.

"Why are you crying?" he asked me softly. He easily brushed my bangs out of my eyes.

I hiccupped while I wiped at my tears. "B-because…"

" _Sora_!" I heard Tifa call. "Sweetheart, where are you?!"

My hands lowered from my face, and I turned to glance down the hall. Tifa and Cloud were hurrying towards me, and DiZ was following behind. Tifa touched my face, and her expression matched Cloud's, worrisome.

"Why're you crying?!" she asked.

"I…" I pointed over my shoulder. "I was talking to…" I looked back to see him, but…

He wasn't there.

"Who, Sora?" DiZ asked.

"Nobody," I answered, peering up at them.

Cloud arched his brow, a low sigh escaping him while he rubbed his temples. "Sora, this is no time for fun and games."

I was confused again. "But…" My eyes squinted as I glanced at the empty space beside me. "I was talking to Nobody…" _Where'd he go?_

As I looked at DiZ, even he seemed perplexed. I think he was wondering why I'd suddenly acquired an imaginary friend, but… he was real, wasn't he? At the time, I thought he might've been a hallucination, but this man had murdered me so... he was definitely real.

But where he went that day was a mystery.

* * *

"What're you drawing?" Kari asked me. We were standing in a cave, our secret spot. Giant leaves surrounded the entrance, preventing any intruder from spying on us and secluding us from the rest of the world. Riku was further off, drawing something he called a 'heartless.' Earlier, Kairi had drawn a talking duck and dog. I named them Donald and Goofy, secretly wishing they were real and able to walk around. My imagination was huge at that age.

"I'm drawing me and you… and Riku," I stated.

Kairi placed her petite finger on the rest of my drawing. "So what's this?"

"A paopu fruit," I explained. This was my way of telling of them that I liked them, because I didn't know how to say it properly. The words just wouldn't come out.

Riku quietly paced over to us, kneeling as he examined my work of art. "So, you're _sharing_ with us?" he asked. "The fruit, I mean?" I blushed, nodding as I finished my task.

"They say if two people share one," Kairi spoke up.

"Their hearts will be connected," Riku finished, giving me a curious look. He slowly took the rock from my hand and started to draw a paopu of his own, but I covered my hand over his. "Sora?"

"You can't just yet," I told him, shaking my head. "Because you don't mean it." I knew he was confused about his feelings for me. I think Riku was simply bi-curious, so I didn't want to be his experiment... I'm pretty sure I liked both of them. Kairi on the other hand, I was definitely sure about. I knew that she returned my feelings, so when Riku calmly handed her the rock, and she drew a mirror image of my picture, I didn't stop her.

"I'll wait then," Riku spoke up. He probably didn't like me in that way either; that's why Riku was my false hope, but he was still my best friend.

...

 **A/N:** I decided to leave out the killer's name and change it to Nobody, since it correlates to KH in that way. A bit of mystery never hurt anyone. Feel free to leave a review if you'd like, and thanks for taking the time to read this!

 **Reply to Guest Review:** Thanks for reviewing! I've done my fair share of research on intersex people and all those other different gender terms so I'm familiar. I hope it won't be too confusing as the story progresses.


	3. Santa is Real

**Chapter 3: Santa is Real**

 _The belief of fictional characters should concern you?_

By age eleven, I was used to the abuse sent my way, deflecting the harsh words like bullets bouncing off an invisible shield. Every time someone at school badmouthed me, or Tifa, I'd just let it slide. I couldn't find the need in being bothered by all the negative energy that my classmates radiated. I also looked to Kairi and Riku for comfort, focusing only on them whenever I could.

They were my light in the darkness that surrounded me; they were hope.

Nobody was always around, too—rarely seen, and never heard unless I was completely alone. I didn't know it then, but he'd been the cause of all the random phone calls made to our house. Every time anyone other than me would pick up and say, "Hello," he'd hang up. Whenever I'd answer, he'd wait, like he just wanted to hear my voice over the phone. I found this out a last week, when my parents had invested in a getting me a cell phone.

I couldn't hide the smile as Tifa placed the device in my hand. "Really?!" I asked, my voice growing.

"Yes, really." The way Tifa ruffled my hair… it felt nice. "And I've already put in your emergency contacts, and Kairi's house number, and Riku's number is in there, too…"

"Thanks, dad," I told her— _him_... Look, this is still hard for me to wrap my head around. Even though she wanted to identify as a man today, in my mind, she was still my mom, so in _my mind_ , I'd refer to her as such. Tifa was a woman to me—a _she_. Who cares if she had two parts?

Why did it have to matter so much?

It didn't matter to me.

But I wish she would take her medication. Even though her pill bottles slowly emptied throughout the month, I knew she wasn't really swallowing them. She had to be either throwing them in trash or flushing them down the toilet.

Still, Tifa had given me a phone. This was a luxury that I'd seen Roxas get once, and he was on his constantly with his friends—and someone named Axel.

"But why?" I asked, a wide grin on my face.

Tifa brushed my bangs out of my eyes, giving me a weary smile. "I just want you to be able to reach your father and me if something happens to you."

I frowned at her. "They're just kids at school, mom— _dad_ ," I said quickly, watching her purse her lips. As I gulped, I rubbed the back of my neck, peering into her brown eyes. "I can handle myself around them."

She lifted my arm, rolling up my red sleeve. Bruises were there in splotches of yellow, purple and black. "I want you to be able to call me when something like this happens again, Sora. Okay?"

My frown deepened. "Even if I call you, it won't stop them from hurting me." I'd spoke it so quietly that she leaned forward, squinting in bewilderment.

"What?"

"Nothing," I said, kissing her cheek. "Thanks dad." _Thanks mom…_

"Where are you going?" Tifa called as I ran towards the front door.

She asked this often, instead of telling me to stay put. I think it was because DiZ threatened her and Cloud to quit grounding me every time I didn't know what she identified as. Today, though, I knew perfectly well. She— _he_ … Tifa was wearing Cloud's clothes… Even knowing that, Tifa was still mom to me.

I loved _her_.

"I'm going to the playground!" I shouted, stepping into my black boots. It was freezing outside, but I loved this time of year. Christmas was coming up. As I threw on my red jacket, I called, "Kairi wanted to meet me there!"

"Oh! Have fun then." Bad parenting to just let me leave like that, considering I didn't tell her which playground I was going to. The one I was headed to was located about a mile and half in another neighborhood, but on my way out the front door, I peered behind me to see that Cloud had walked over to Tifa and placed a loving kiss on her temple…

They looked perfect together…

I always wondered if dad knew about Tifa's different parts before or after he fell in love with her, and I always wondered why Roxas and I hadn't come out with two parts like Tifa had… but then again, it makes sense that we both came out boys. Tifa and Cloud both had male parts working against Tifa's female one…

It would've been nice to have a little sister around, though. I think she could've made Tifa see why she should love her female side just as much as her male side…

As I shut the door behind me, I hopped down each step and broke into a run, rushing down the street. It felt great to have the wind flying through my spikes, and to see the snow falling down like pixie dust—a winter Neverland.

I'd also loved nature when I was alive, but being in a town like this, I preferred the Islands where we used to live. Roxas loved it, too; but Cloud got a better job offer here… People at the Island were used to Tifa being different because they grew up with her, but people here…

They didn't understand.

My sprint slowed until it morphed in a steady walk, and eventually, I halted altogether. I've never understood how someone else's definition of normal could effect me, or vice versa, seeing as how it was supposed to be a free country, but…

"Nothing ever makes sense," I said with a huff. I hated that I was getting so frustrated over something that I couldn't change.

"Sora," someone called me. I knew him.

"Nobody!" I said, turning around. I ran up to him, hugging him. He never took his hood off, and he was always dressed in black, so I wasn't surprised. At least now he had a reason to wear that coat, considering the weather. A normal child would've rushed to find help, but I wasn't normal.

And so, I stayed, like child knocking on a murderer's front door, I stayed—welcoming him into my life.

My naivety pissed me off, even in death.

Nobody hugged me longer than an adult should have, but I let him. In fact, I encouraged him to. A caring adult's touch was nice at the time because I couldn't see DiZ every day, so whenever Nobody stopped by and made a visit, I was excited.

As we broke apart, he made sure to hold both my hands in his, kneeling in front of me. Those eyes… looking back, they frightened me, but in that moment, I cherished them.

He was my friend.

"Guess what?!" I had practically squeaked it out in my attempt of trying not to shout. He chuckled, and the sound was pleasant to my ears. It wasn't the same sensation I had when Riku would do it, though. Riku was in a league of his own.

"What's got you so excited?" he asked.

"I got a cell phone!" I quickly dug into my pocket and pulled the black device out, placing it in his large palm. "Isn't it cool?!"

He chuckled again, opening the flip phone. "It sure is." While he began clicking through items on the menu, he asked, "Can I call you?"

Red flag. It should've been a red flag, but it wasn't. He was my friend… or at least, that's what I thought…

I was such a stupid child.

I answered with a vigorous nod. "Of course!"

He wasted no time in typing his number in, and he sent himself a text message to make sure it went through. "Will you always answer when I call?" Clingy.

Why did it take me getting murderer to see all these signs?

Upon hearing the request, I blushed, thinking of Riku. He had asked me the same question when we first exchanged home phone numbers a few years ago. Nobody must've thought my blush was meant for him because he smiled. "Y-yeah…" I grabbed the phone from him and placed it back in my pocket. "I… I have to go. I'm meeting Kairi today at the playground."

"Can I come with you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not today." There was a frown on my face. "Kairi says she wants to give me my Christmas present early."

"You like Christmas?" he asked me. He was touching my shoulder, squeezing it with a bit of warmth.

My shoulders rolled, and I stuffed my hands in my pockets. The air was making my voice hoarse, and I was shivering slightly. "Yeah, the presents I get from Santa are the best."

He stood, shaking his head. "But Santa Claus isn't real, Sora."

I pouted at him, my glare challenging his. "Yes, he _is_ ," I almost snapped. Riku had told me the same thing last year, and I didn't believe him either. Santa was real. He had to be.

Nobody disagreed. "He's not real, Sora," he argued. His voice was level while he spoke, but the way he shook his head, and the way he glowered at me, gave me the impression that he was aggravated. "You're nothing like Roxas. He'd _never_ believe something so childish."

Upon hearing this, I snapped my head up. This should've been the indication for me to run away—the drive I needed to scream bloody murder and wait for a _sane_ adult to come to my rescue… but I was naïve.

Instead, all I got out of that was—

"You know Roxas?!" I asked, eyes wide with hope.

He nodded, crossing his arms. "I knew him," he corrected me. "Yes. We all did."

I tilted my head. "Who's ' _we_?'"

"The rest of Roxas' friends."

I'd never met _any_ of Roxas' friends, but he did mention one. Curiosity got the better of me, and I peered up at him, eyes inquisitive. "Do you know somebody named Axel?"

He chuckled at me, finding something humorous. "Yes, I know Axel." It sounded like he murmured something along the lines of, "Pitiful excuse of an existence," but I couldn't be sure. Even now, I believe that could've been what was spoken.

I nodded slowly. "That's his best friend."

Again, he nodded. " _Was_ his best friend…" Nobody was keen on correcting me today, so agitated by my presense. I began to wonder what his problem was. He had a different aura about him right now, like the mention of Roxas' name—his slipup of _my_ brother's name to me—was irking him.

Or maybe it was because he was trying so hard to compare Roxas and me. People did that a lot—especially Tifa and Cloud.

"…Are you Axel?" I asked him.

"No," he answered truthfully. _No…_ Axel had green eyes, so Nobody couldn't be him. "Axel looks much different from me, but we dress alike—we _all_ dress alike."

I didn't understand.

"Are you all in a secret club?"

"Yes," he answered.

His short replies were filled with a bit of taunting mirth—as if he were waiting on my to ask the _right_ question.

I shivered again, hugging myself—even going so far as snuggling into him when he spread his arms. He stroked my brown spikes with his gloves hand, using his left arm to hold me close.

"But Roxas never told me he was in a club," I whispered. I saw the air rise up from my lips as I spoke. It was freezing out here, and I wondered why Tifa didn't think to drive me to the park, or at least walk with me.

Nobody grunted. "Roxas never told you a lot of things."

I frowned, pulling myself free from him. He'd spoken those words in such a condescending way that I didn't want to be near him at the moment. I was jealous because he knew more about Roxas than I did—and I was Roxas' brother, not _him_. Who was he to tell me what my brother kept in the dark?

"You're upset," Nobody said with a wicked chuckle. He touched his chest with his right hand, bowing. "I'm sorry."

My eyes narrowed. "I don't accept."

"How about some sea salt ice cream?"

"In December?"

"Why not?"

I gave him an odd look, wary about the less than sane expression he was giving me. "Because it's cold." He reminded me of a character from Alice in Wonderland, because every time he spoke I thought of them and their nonsense. But a question lingered in my mind while Nobody eyed me with a smirk.

"Roxas," I whispered, giving him a cautious gaze. I didn't want Nobody knowing about my family. When people found out, they treated us differently… "He told you… _everything_?"

Nobody took a moment to answer, freezing in place while I scrutinized him. "…I know all about Tifa, Sora."

Finally, I took a step back, and then another.

"But I don't care," he spoke up.

My feet halted. "Y-you… you don't?" I'd never heard that before.

"Of course not," he said. "I'm your friend—your _best_ friend." _Riku's my best friend…_ "No one knows you like I do, Sora."

I chose to remain quiet, not wanting to correct him.

"Sora!" Yuffie called me. She was on the other side of the street in her black car. She looked a livid at seeing me talking to a stranger, and I hadn't noticed before, but there was no one else walking on either side of the sidewalks.

We were alone, the perfect abduction scene.

Yuffie had black hair, dark eyes, and pale skin, and she was a short, slender woman—a real bundle of energy. Usually, she was pleasant and smiling, but right now, she was slamming the door to her car and marching over to us with one of her prized daggers in her hand. When she approached, she took my left hand and yanked me behind her, ready to assault Nobody. "Why the hell are you talking with my Godson?!"

Nobody looked infuriated, like he wanted nothing more than to attack her. "Sora and I were just having a friendly conversation."

"…I think you need to leave," Yuffie said seriously. "Before I call the cops—or worse, murder you right here and now." He chuckled at her choice of words.

"YUFFIE!" I began to burst into tears. "YOU _CAN'T_ MAKE HIM LEAVE!"

Yuffie gasped, turning to me instantly. She'd clearly forgotten about protecting me due to my loud outburst. "Sora…?!" She gave me a tender hug. "Hey kiddo—"

"HE KNEW ROXAS!" I shouted at her. He knew _all_ of Roxas' secrets, and because of this, he was a piece of Roxas, or maybe it was only in my mind.

I wanted him around like the suicide note I carried in my pocket—always.

Yuffie looked confused. "Sora…?"

I nuzzled my head into her stomach. "Don't make him leave!" I cried, lowering my scream. "He's _my_ friend, too!"

"This is a grown man," she stated. She turned around to face Nobody, only to release an annoyed sound of discomfort.

He had left again, and I wasn't surprised. He didn't like other people, only me.

Yuffie sighed, quickly leading me to the car with a dodgy expression. "I can't believe Tifa and Cloud would let you do something this _stupid,_ Sora." She practically pushed me in the back seat, slamming the door shut before I could protest.

As she climbed in the front and closed her door, she grumbled a quick, "You're not an adult, Sora. You don't need adult friends." She started the car, speeding off. "It's a good thing I was heading to your parent's house."

"Age shouldn't matter when it comes to friendship," I objected.

"Did _he_ tell you that?" she asked.

"So what if he did?!" I hadn't meant to yell at her, but Yuffie didn't understand.

She slammed on the brakes, turning around to face me. "Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that! I'm your godmother!"

"Since when?!" I retorted. "You're never here unless it's for Tifa! It's always about Tifa!"

"Sora—"

"Tifa-Tifa- _Tifa_!"

She looked livid. "That's not true, Sora—"

I crossed my arms. "You're nothing but her coworker to me!"

…I messed up. Yuffie was mad, _really_ upset. I hadn't anticipated her next move, though.

By the time we got home, my butt was extremely sore, and Yuffie was downstairs explaining the situation with my parents while I was sulking in my room. Roxas' note was in my hand while I sat on my bed, tears falling onto the tattered paper.

Nearly an hour later, Cloud came into my room, and he shut the door behind him.

"Sora," he said softly.

I glared at him, lips quivering. "I already know," I whispered. "I'm grounded." I shrugged, a tear falling down my face. "I don't care anymore."

"You're not grounded. I'm not going to do that anymore." As he walked over to me, I folded up Roxas' note and placed it in my pocket. Cloud didn't question it as he sat down, and I was surprised when he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.

It felt nice.

"Sora, I know you miss Roxas, and I know you need some closure, but speaking with his friends—people who're legal adults—that's not the way to go about finding it."

 _What did he know? He didn't find Roxas' body that night. He didn't have to see anything…_

He just got the phone call from the hospital.

 _I was there._

"…Kairi's downstairs," he spoke up.

My face brightened and quickly wiped at my tears. "C-can I see her?"

"Yes," he answered. "And remember, you're not grounded, just misguided…" I didn't understand what he meant, and honestly, I didn't care. Kairi was my only thought, so when he exited the room and she came in wearing her white, winter dress and purple snow boots with her hands behind her back, I grinned.

Kairi was so beautiful, like a princess.

She casually walked over to me, a teasing smile on her face. "You have to close your eyes if you want your present, Sora."

I did as she commanded.

"Hold out your hands."

The moment I did, she placed something inside. "Can I open my eyes now?"

She hesitated before saying, "Okay, but don't laugh."

I opened my eyes to see a large charm in my hand, knowing it was hand crafter by Kairi. She loved making crafts. It was her thing.

"I made it myself," Kairi said shyly. "It's… it's my lucky charm but I want you to have it!"

The way she hid behind her hair when she noticed my smile… it was adorable. Kairi was just so… Her very presence made me feel so strange—like I could do anything as long as she was there.

"Thank you, Kairi," I whispered.

She crossed her arms, her playful grin returning. "So, where's my present?"

It was my turn to look away, embarrassed. "Um…"

She placed her arms behind her back again, leaning forward. " _Um_ …? Sora, are you okay?"

Slowly, I turned towards her. "Kairi…" I gulped, blinking rapidly. "I, um… well, I thought about what I wanted to give you as a present but I couldn't decide until yesterday…"

She smiled at me, watching as I went to the window and stared up at the sky. "That's okay, Sora. You didn't have to get me anything."

"But I want to," I said in a rush. I bit my bottom lip, unsure of how to give her my gift. What if she didn't even want it? The thought hadn't occurred to me until now. Seriously, what if Kairi rejected my present? That would hurt more than not giving her anything at all.

"Close your eyes and hold out your hand," I instructed. I sounded slightly intimidated. This was Kairi, after all. _She was…_ _Kairi._

 _That made no sense._

 _Great, now I sound like Nobody…_

"Okay." She did as she was told and held her hands out in front of her while I carefully placed her charm in my pocket. Slowly, I reached forward and clasped our hands together, leaning towards her.

"Don't be scared," I told her in a whisper.

She shook head. "I'm not," she murmured back. I inched my face towards hers until I could feel her breath on my skin.

Was I really about to do this?

"…I might kiss you, Kairi," I blurted out. I chickened out on giving her my gift, thinking that a little warning was better than no warning in situations like these, I guess. She did the opposite of what I expected, though.

She giggled, eyes still closed. "Then I might kiss you back, Sora." _Confirmation…?_

And when I leaned in and lightly pressed my lips against hers, she did what she'd said.

Kairi kissed me back.

It was… _she_ was… I felt… There was no sensation to properly describe kissing Kairi. I couldn't call it perfect since we kind of just stood there like deer caught in headlights with our mouths connected, but the fact that it was her—the fact that I was kissing _her_ made the kiss feel complete somehow… perfectly imperfect.

 _This is so confusing!_

"Your face is _really_ red," Kairi said as we broke apart.

I laughed, pulling away from her, but kept our hands locked. "Yours is too."

My phone began ringing and I reluctantly unclasped out hands, fetching my phone from my pockets. I saw that the call was from Nobody. _Really? Right now…?_

Immediately, I answered with a smile. "Hey—"

"You little shit."

I froze. "Wha… _what_?"

"How could you do this to me, Sora?" he asked. He sounded like he was crying. "I thought you liked me."

My brows furrowed and I parted my lips, unsure of what was happening. Nobody was upset, but I didn't understand why. "I…" Beside me, Kairi was looking on with curious eyes, but I walked past her, the sensations of our kiss on hold. "I don't understand."

"I saw you kiss her."

He'd been watching us… from… from the window?

Again, I parted my lips, too shocked to speak. My eyes darted towards the my window, noticing the blue curtains were open. "N-Nobody—"

He hung up and Kairi crept up to me, holding my free hand. "Who was that?"

"Nobody," I answered.

She pouted at me, removing my hand from hers. There was a look of hurt in her eyes. "Sora, it had to be _somebody_."

I shook my head. "No Kairi. It was Nobody."

She was pouting at me. "We _never_ keep secrets."

 _Not again…_ "Kairi—" She was already marching out of the room, offended.

"Kai…" I hurried after her, hugging her from behind in the hallway when she tried to leave. "I'm _sorry_ ," I whispered, feeling her body relax. "I don't know his name. He just calls himself Nobody. He's one of Roxas' friends."

Kairi turned around in my arms, embracing me forcefully. "I…" she whispered. "I thought it was Riku." She was jealous of Riku.

I stiffened. "Kairi—"

"He doesn't like you like I do," she spoke up. "I like you more. Riku doesn't know what he wants."

"…What do _you_ want?" I asked.

She squeezed me tighter. "This," she answered.

Thinking logically, I blurted out, "Kairi, we're eleven. We don't understand commitment—or relationships." I had quoted that straight from Tifa's lips, remembering the conversation she casually threw in during one of our therapy sessions.

Kairi giggled at my truthfulness, and frowned when my phone went off again. I didn't answer, thinking it might be Nobody again. He was starting to scare me, but I didn't want to tell Tifa and Cloud. Nobody was just upset and he needed to cool down. All friends got into fights like this… didn't they?

 _Didn't they...?_

* * *

After Kairi had left with her mother, I went to my window and opened it. Immediately, my phone rang, and when I flipped it open, I placed it up to my ear.

"You're cheating on me," Nobody said.

I frowned into the darkness. "Nobody," I whispered. "We're not… together like that. You're my friend."

"What's that little bitch to you then?" he asked. "Is she just your friend, too? You kiss your friends, Sora?" My jaw dropped and I shut my phone. Nobody was terrifying me. With shaking hands, I threw the phone on the bed and shut the window, locking the clasp before I hurried to the bathroom.

After a few minutes—probably ten or fifteen to get over my shock—I returned, and I gazed at my window again. It was still locked, comforting me somehow. My phone began to ring again, and shut my door, locking it behind me. The entire time, my eyes stayed focused on my window, hoping no intruder would try to force their way inside.

As I crept over to the ringing device and picked it, I sighed. Nobody was calling again. _What now...?_

The second I lowered my hand, a cruel voice asked, "You're not going to answer me?"

I tensed when he touched my shoulder, my phone falling back onto the bed.

"You'd rather kiss her, wouldn't you?"

"…You need to leave," I whispered. I was confused by Roxas' friend—perplexed about what was actually _wrong_ with him. I think it was best to ask DiZ about him, since he was a client at the therapist office, too.

"But I don't want to leave," he said.

"I… I don't _want_ you here right now," I whispered. My hands trembled as I reached up and touched my temples, panicking. I could've screamed, but I didn't want Roxas' friend to get in trouble. He was just mad… right?

I liked him better when he was smiling.

The only thing he'd picked up on were the words "Right now." "You'll want to see me later then," he stated.

"You're scaring me."

He hugged me from behind, the same way I held Kairi earlier, except his embrace felt cold somehow. "I'm sorry. Let's forget that. I'll be your friend—your _best_ friend."

 _His attitude did a one-eighty…_ I detected some of what Tifa had, a personality disorder of some form.

I didn't know how to respond, so I remained silent. _Where are Tifa and Cloud?_

"I'm so sorry, Sora," he murmured to me. There was a plea in his voice, an urge to gain my trust again. "Please forgive me?"

"…Nobody?"

"Yes?"

"How'd you get in here…?"

He chuckled, as if our conversation was casual. It wasn't. "This way and that." _More riddles._

"You should leave," I repeated. "You can't just show up like this."

"Roxas will be upset that you kicked me out," he informed me.

I hadn't thought about it like that. In death, would Roxas be mad at me because I didn't treat his friends the same way I treated him…? If I had been smarter, I'd have known that Nobody was manipulating me—and using Roxas' suicide as a way to keep me from leaving him, but as I said before: I was naïve.

A frown remained on my face. "I…?" I began to sulk at this revelation. I was confused.

He took a step back as I turned around and nodded. "Roxas would be highly upset if he knew how you just treated me, Sora. You wouldn't want that, now would you?"

"No, I…" My brows furrowed. "N-no…?"

He patted my head condescendingly. "Good boy… but…"

" _But_ …?"

"I should go," he spoke up. "There's something I need to do."

It took me a moment to nod. "Where are you going?"

"To go steal some hearts." I didn't realize how true his statement was. My murderer always meant what he said, and as he approached my window, he grinned at me. "You should get a better lock on this. I don't want an intruder coming in to harm you."

"O-okay," I answered.

He noticed the fret in my voice and he paced back over to me, cradling my face in his right hand. "You're afraid of me." He shook his head. "Don't be. I'm your friend, remember? I'm your _best_ friend. I'll protect you from anyone."

 _Even yourself…?_

"Goodnight, Sora."

"G-goodnight, Nobody." I watched him exit my window, and then I quickly locked it behind him. The sound of my phone ringing made me nervous, but when I flipped it open and placed the device to my ear, I smiled at who spoke.

"Hey, Sora," Riku said.

My body relaxed. "Riku..." Everything felt safe when he talked.

We spoke for a few hours, just random conversation about our day, and he even agreed to stay on the phone until we fell asleep… but I decided to wish him goodnight instead. He had a test tomorrow, and I didn't want to be too drowsy when he took it. It'd be lame to do all that studying only to flunk it out of fatigue.

After hanging up, I turned my phone off and placed it on my nightstand. Once I'd given my dull room one last glance, I exited it and ventured down the hall. The last, white door at the end belonged to my parents, and I knocked before quickly entering.

Tifa looked… girly. She was—I mean, he was… _Tifa_ was wearing Cloud's white shirt, leaving little to the imagination. I suspected that all she wore to bed were his shirts. It was weird to describe, seeing her like that. I wasn't used to it. I thought of the movie _Shrek_ and the saying, "By night one way by day another."

Cloud was already in bed on the right side, shirt off, probably wearing his underwear, and the red covers were drawn up to his torso. I'd never get his physique, how he managed to get so many muscles like that. He looked photo-shopped, but then again, so did Tifa's boobs.

You know, I… I think they were planning on...

 _Oh, ew!_

"What's wrong, Sora?" Tifa asked me, concerned.

I blinked at them, opting to slowly retreat by walking back a few steps. "Never mind…" _Abort, abort!_

"Hey," Cloud called. "It's alright." He was waving for me to approach him. "Come here."

Tifa was giving him this strange look as he beckoned me, like she—I mean, _he_ —like _Tifa_ admired Cloud and thought he was hot at the same time. It freaked me out.

As I approached the bed, Cloud playfully pulled me onto the mattress, chuckling when I landed over him and onto the middle of the bed. I laughed with him, adjusting myself so that I was on my back while Tifa sat down on the left side of mattress.

"So, what do you need to talk to us about?" Tifa asked, brushing my spikes out of my eyes.

"I just miss you is all," I practically whispered. It was partly true—that, _and_ I didn't want to sleep alone in my room tonight. The thought of Nobody coming in there was scary, but he was Roxas' friend so I had to treat him with respect, the same respect I gave my brother. He was part of him. They were connected.

"We miss you, too," Tifa assured me. "You want to stay in here tonight?"

"But you two were gonna have sex," I blurted out. "I can tell."

Cloud face palmed, falling back onto the pillows while Tifa burst into a fit of giggles. "Go to sleep, Sora," they both said in unison.

I huffed, smiling when I heard Cloud do the same, and I promptly fell back onto the pillows, mimicking him. Peering up at him, I crossed my eyes, making a goofy face. He surprised me when he made one in retaliation, completely out of character, and I laughed.

"Hey, he smiles," Tifa said teasingly, practically cheering in triumph. "Both my men do."

That was the first time Cloud had ever did something so… fun.

I cherished the memory, knowing it would be the first and last time. Why couldn't he treat Roxas like this when he was still here?

…

 **A/N:** I put a lot of thought into who I wanted Nobody to be, and I'll leave little hints throughout the other chapters but until the next to last chapter, year 15, he'll be nameless. Year 15 is very psychotic, creepy and just downright disturbing, it'll be rated M from there, and then year 16 is really unforgivable I guess...

I know Sora seems like a 'do everything Nobody says kind of character' right now, but there _will_ be character development. Remember that if his current persona annoys you, and feel free to leave a review if you'd like.

Thanks again for reading.

-AJ


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